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23 February 2009
Singapore
Singapore has long established its reputation as a gourmet’s paradise while eating is considered a national pastime. Hence it’s hardly surprising that one in two Singaporeans are unsatisfied with their weight and are attempting to shed some!
The results of a Nielsen survey in 52 countries indicate that there is a global appetite for improving health through better diet and exercise. The survey was conducted online at the end of September 2008 as part of Nielsen’s Global Online Consumer Survey series that periodically track global consumer trends and regional preferences.
Fully half of the over 28,000 global respondents considered themselves overweight and are currently trying to shed those pounds. In Singapore, 48 percent considered themselves to be on the heavier side, while close to one in ten (8%) felt that they were hitting the lower end of the scale. But 44 percent still deem their weight to be just right.
“While some issues such as weight loss are universal, there are decidedly different views and approaches in different regions,” said Joan Koh, Executive Director for Consumer Research, The Nielsen Company Singapore.
Across the regions, the tough-to-execute but proven slimming combination of diet and exercise is the recipe of choice. But more people still rather modify their diet than exercise more. Asia Pacific residents struck a balance between the two tactics with 77 percent changing their diet and 73 percent exercising more.
The majority of the 57 percent of respondents in Singapore who wants to lose weight would either change their diet (75%) or work out (66%) to achieve their goal.
“In recent years, Singaporeans have become increasingly conscious about health and fitness, a trend that can be reflected by the mushrooming of slimming centres and fitness chains. The weight loss and exercise industries are thriving trades in Singapore,” commented Ms Koh. In 2008 alone, beauty and slimming centres, together with fitness centres spent over $57 million advertising their trade .
For Singaporeans who are dieting, the majority blames sugars and fat as the biggest contributors of their expanding waistline, with over two-thirds of respondents resolving to cut down on these. The third most popular dieting strategy was reducing their food portion, as indicated by 57 percent of respondents. Other weight-loss methods include eating less processed (28%), and eating more fresh and natural foods (45%).
When it comes to exercise option, results proved counterintuitive. North Americans claim to be the most overweight of any region, yet they self-report the highest levels of exercise with 70 percent stating they work out at least once a week or more. Conversely, Asia Pacific residents do the best job of managing weight but exercise less than any other region with 58 percent saying they work out at least once a week.
“Singaporeans appear to be exercising less compared to their counterparts in the region, with only one in two (50%) exercising at least once or twice a week. However, those who do exercise are doing it with greater intensity on the days that they work out. Seven in 10 (69%) claim to exercise for more than 30 minutes during each work out session,” said Ms Koh.
The favorite exercise option among Singaporeans are running/jogging (29%) followed by walking (25%).
Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that roughly half of global consumers were confused by the barrage of diet and healthy eating info available in the marketplace, much of it conflicting, highlighted Ms Koh.
“Singaporeans tend to trust doctors/medical professionals most, according to Nielsen’s survey,” Ms Koh said. “They are the top source, sought by close to seven in 10 (68%), with TV programmes and documentaries trailing behind as the second most trusted source, with nearly one in two locals (48%) relying on them for their dieting tips.”
Other trusted sources are newspapers (34%), the Internet (30%), nutritional information on product packaging (27%), as well as books (24%) and magazines (18%).
Advertising spend is based on Nielsen’s existing media coverage and using gross rate card rates
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